Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-06-25
SIGNIFICANT WORDS FROM A
THINKING CAPITALIST.

Fred. Woodrow, the editor of THE
Age Of Steel, journal published in
the interest of the steel industries,
and man who has given the indus
trial question considerable time and
attention and somewhat fairly, too,
for man who can only see through
capitalstic glasses, recently eX-
pressed himself through the columns
of his paper in this wise:
"a careful analysis of the elements
and tendencies of industrial agitation
summarizes the whole movement as con-
verging on certain possible but as yet
unreaized equities and conditions, in
which the broad right of every man to
his legitimate share of time, education.
the comforts of life and the rewards of
labor are practically guaranteed.
Equitable distribution, and the best
methods to secure it, is really the objec-
tive point of the whole industrial move
ment On this issue, all thought that is
pertinent to the situation is declared
conviction. 1t may be expressed in con-
heresies, and imbedded in sophism, non
sense and impossibilty, but the vital idea
is operative and supreme. 1t has to be
recognizable not to-day, tomorrow.
A sense of something wrong-a crack in
the cup-an economic error or crime--is
pervading the social mind.
We live in world of plenty. There
is no lack in supplies. The purchasing
power of the nation is far ahead of its
necessities. and yet man is frozen to
death where blankets are at a discount,
and he goes hungry where beef is fed to
dogs and cake to cats. We see honesty
in rags, virtue on a pauper's pallet, and
industry itself with its teeth in a crust
and it's home in a cellar. Social para
doxes-Dives in fine linen amid his bot
ties of champagne-Lazarns in Il closet
and with crumbs ont of parormald' s
dust pan. This condition of society is a
crime to be wiped out and made forever
shame. Conditions permissible in one
stage of civilization are insuttcrable in
another. A serf is content with his
bondage and his black bread so long as
he knows nothing of human rights and a
white loaf Enlarge his mind. and he is
conscious of aspiration and discomfort
The old chain cuts through the skin. A
taste of freedom, and his lips crack for
more. Just so enlarged intelligence
makes the masses dissatisfied with other
conditions and logically fits them for
what is intrinsically their social inherit
ance. We may accentuate the whole
unrest in one word, distribution. To
understand what this signities-to COM
prehend its laws and limitations and to
discover the best methods of its realza-
ton is the real task of social and indus
trial reform. The index finger points
that way without mistake. We are feel
ing our way to some practical rnadJust-
ment of inequalities that are arbitrary
and unjust To our mind this is not so
much matter of arithmetic as of hui
mainly. There are social difficulties
that are solvent in instinct, though not
so in intellect. Humanity has come III
to warm the cold iron. 1t has not, as a
rule, been amalgam with business and
hard work. 1t is here now and it is here
to stay. 1t has its potency represented
in the latest departures of industry to-
wards the solution of the distributive
problem"